Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building: Seventh Warehouse and Its Storehouse Look
The Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building (秋田公立美術工芸短期大学創作工房棟) is a single-storey timber warehouse built in 1934 in Araya Okawacho, Akita City, Akita Prefecture, and entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2000.
It is the seventh from the north of the eight buildings of the Former Araya National Warehouses: timber, single storey, with a sheet-metal roof and a building area of 660 square metres. The name is the one it bore when registered; at the time of registration it served as the junior college's creative studio. Today the seven northern buildings are used as Atelier Momosada by Akita University of Art and Design, which opened in 2013.
Why It Was Registered
The Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building is registration number 05-0063, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, and was registered with the other seven buildings on 26 September 2000.
The Agency's record for this building discusses the exterior and roof. The buildings are styled like earthen storehouses, and the roof has a secondary frame that makes it resemble a raised outer roof, for insulation. Conversion for the college added windows in the gable and side walls and joined the ventilation roofs into one, yet the buildings still convey their original appearance well.
What to Look For at the Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building
On the walls, windows cut for the college sit in what were once blank storehouse walls. The continuous ventilation roof along the ridge is another conversion; together they let you read the original building and the changes side by side.
Visiting
The Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building is a university building, and no official information on visiting the interior was found. Check with Akita University of Art and Design before going.
Directions, and details of the Araya Library at the southern end, which is open to the public, are on the Former Araya National Warehouses page.
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Q&A
- What is the Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building?
- A single-storey timber warehouse built in 1934 in Araya Okawacho, Akita City, the seventh from the north of the eight Former Araya National Warehouses, with a building area of 660 square metres.
- When was the Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building registered?
- It was registered on 26 September 2000 as number 05-0063.
- What does the Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building look like?
- It resembles an earthen storehouse, with an insulated double roof. Conversion added windows and joined the ventilation roofs into one.
- How is the building used today?
- The seven northern warehouses are used by Akita University of Art and Design as Atelier Momosada.
- Can visitors go inside?
- It is a university building, and no official visiting information was found. Check with the university first.
Basic Information
| Name | Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building (秋田公立美術工芸短期大学創作工房棟) |
|---|---|
| Location | 12-3 Araya Okawacho, Akita City, Akita Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2000/9/26 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, sheet-metal roof, building area 660 square metres |
| Owner | Akita Public Art School, public university corporation (as recorded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs) |
| Public Access | University building; no official information on visiting the interior |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Akita Municipal Junior College of Arts and Crafts Creative Studio Building (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001830
- Akita University of Art and Design: Atelier Momosada (Japanese)
- https://www.akibi.ac.jp/ateliermomosada
Last verified: 2026.09.27
